Rebecca Laird rlaird@pointloma.edu Education, Professional Development and Honors Doctor of Ministry Drew University, Madison, NJ, 2008 Master of Arts Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA 1990. Bachelor of Arts, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA, 1982 Certifications and Professional Education New to Online Teaching The essentials, The Sloan Consortium, 2013 PC(USA) passed ordination exams, Presbytery of Elizabeth, NJ, 2004 Prepare/Enrich, Life Innovations, Clergy training in marital counseling, 2003 Spirituality, Values and Religion Reporting Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Summer program, 2001 Course of Ministerial Study Metro New York District Church of the Nazarene, 1990 Spiritual Direction, nine-month certificate program, Mercy Center, 1991 Ordination Elder, Church of the Nazarene. Southern California District, ordained 1995. Recognized as a Corresponding Member of the Presbytery of Elizabeth of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in November 2002-08 as a Corresponding Member, 2002-2008 Professional Memberships American Academy of Religion Spiritual Directors International Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference Wesleyan Theological Society Association of Practical Theology San Diego Spiritual Directors Association Advisory Board, Volunteer Boards and Organizations (since arrival at PLNU) Advisory Board, Center for Christian Spirituality, University of San Diego Honors and Grants Summer Wesley Scholars Program, Asbury Seminary, 2015 PLNU Wesleyan Center, Summer Scholars Grant, 2011, 2014, 2016 Distinguished Alumna Award, PLNU, 2008 Award of Merit, Religion Communicator s Council, 2001 Stoody-West Fellowship for Religion Journalism, 2000 1
Wesleyan/Holiness Clergy Woman Representative, Women Clergy Study Consultation, Hartford Seminary, 1996 The Alumnus of Point Loma College Award, 1991 Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, 1982 Teaching Experience Point Loma Nazarene University 2011-present Professor of Christian Ministry and Practice, tenure-track, 2011-present Interim Dean, School of Theology and Christian Ministry, 2015-16 Committee service: Chair, Faculty Council (2016-17), Educational Effectiveness (2015-16), New Faculty Mentor (2014-15) Faculty Status Committee (2012-13), Community Classroom Academic Advisory Committee (2013-present) Drew University, The Theological School 2008-2011 Director of Ministerial Formation Founding Director for Certificate in Spiritual Formation, a five-course, non-degree program Doctor of Ministry Program in Worship, Spirituality and Preaching Committee assignment: Student Formation Committee Courses designed and taught: Christian Education of Children (Bachelor of Arts)* Christian Formation (Master of Arts in Ministry) * Contemporary Ministry (Masters of Arts in Ministry)* Faith Formation in the Congregation (Masters of Arts in Ministry)* Leadership and Administration (Bachelor of Arts)* Life of Holiness (Bachelor of Arts)* Liturgy: Word, Form and Function (Bachelor of Arts)* Intro to Christian Education (Bachelor of Arts)* Intro to Ministry (Bachelor of Arts)* Pastoral Care and Counseling (Bachelor of Arts)* Pastoral Formation (Master of Divinity) Spiritual Autobiography (Master of Divinity/Doctor of Ministry) Spiritual Disciplines for Personal, Parish and Ecological Renewal (Master of Divinity/Doctor of Ministry) Spiritual Direction/Companionship (Master of Divinity/Doctor of Ministry) Theological Writing (Master of Divinity) Women and Christianity (Bachelor of Arts)* Women in the Holiness Movement (Doctor of Ministry) *denotes course taught at PLNU Church and Agency Work History Central Presbyterian Church, Summit New Jersey 2003-2008 2
Associate Pastor for Spiritual Development Served as one of three clergy providing worship, sacramental leadership and pastoral care for a historic, 1100 member congregation. Responsible for the spiritual development vision, adult education, retreats, women s ministry, men s ministry, small groups, curriculum selection and implementation of programs for all ages. Provides oversight for the church s preschool with twenty staff which served 240 children annually. Supervised Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological School and Calvin College interns. Staff liaison to the Bolivia Mission Team and local mission outreach. Acting Head of Staff March-September 2005 Successfully oversaw the 35 church staff and operations during an interim senior pastor search process. Fellowship in Prayer, Princeton, NJ 1996-2003 Editor, Sacred Journey: The Journal of Fellowship in Prayer Oversaw all aspects of bimonthly interfaith spirituality journal. Responsible for selecting content and photos, managing production staff and seminary interns, conducting feature interviews, writing editorials, and implementing internet and print promotional efforts. Conducted feature interviews with Henri Nouwen, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Randall Balmer, Frederick Buechner, Rachel Remen, Cardinal Idris Cassidy from the Vatican, Rabbi Leon Klienicke of Bnai Brith, Harvey Cox, and many others. Conference co-coordinator, Companions on the Sacred Journey, The 50th Anniversary Conference for Fellowship in Prayer. June 16-18, 2000 at Princeton University. Planned workshops, prayer circles, Taize prayer service and produced the multi-faith closing ceremony in historic Richardson Auditorium. Laird Christensen Associates 1990-1996 Served as a developmental book project editor for Abingdon Press, HarperSanFrancisco, Guideposts Books, Crossings Book Club, Point Loma Press, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan, Willow Creek Association, The Evangelical Covenant Church and other publishing and non-profit clients. The Lamb s Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, New York, NY 1995-1996 Organizational audit and staff training The Lamb s Church, NY, NY. Interviewed staff, visited programs in progress, reviewed staff position descriptions and policies before recommending a team-oriented approach to sustaining current ministries and enhancing resource development. Developed and implemented a discipleship program for homeless men in The Pathway to Wholeness program. World Vision, U.S. Field Operations, Federal Way, WA 1992-1996 Urban community development and program consultant Coordinated personnel search, initial program research, and network building in New York City during 1995.Provided administrative oversight to Vision to Reality, a training program in community development for a coalition of churches in Oakland, CA, 1992-1996. Harper One, San Francisco, CA 1983-1989 Associate Editor Responsible for acquisition, editing, and oversight of religious trade books and religious education curriculum for the Protestant market. Edited books by Sue Monk Kidd, Marie Fortune, Justo Gonzalez and Carmen Renee Berry among dozens of others. 3
Golden Gate Community Church of the Nazarene 1982-1989 Office Manager and Ministry Staff Member 1982 Managed office operations, Christian education, small group training, worship planning, visiting groups, donor relations, facility use and financial records. Served as first point of contact for homeless clients. Volunteer staff, overseeing interns and member of church board 1983-1989 Selected Publications Books Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life, Henri Nouwen with Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, Harper One, 2013. Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit. Henri Nouwen with Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, Harper One, 2010. Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith. Henri Nouwen with Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, Harper One, 2006. The Heart of Henri Nouwen: His Words of Blessing, Co-editor with Michael Christensen. Crossroad Books, 2003. No Hiding Place: Empowerment and Recovery for our Communities, co-authored with Rev. Cecil Williams) HarperCollins, 1992. Ordained Women in the Church of the Nazarene: The First Generation. Beacon Hill Press, 1992. Robinson Rabbit, What Do You Hear? Augsburg, 1990. Portraits of People in Places not Like Home. Beacon Hill Press, 1982. Book Chapters Inclusion or Exclusion: Facing the Challenges of Women s Voices in the Christian Community in Facing Challenges: Feminism in Christian Higher Education and Other Places, Allyson Jule and Bettina Tate Pedersen, eds., Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015. The Priesthood of All Believers: A Theology of the Laity, in Essential Church: A Wesleyan Paradigm. Diane LeClerc and Mark Maddix, eds.,beacon Hill Press, 2014. As if We Lived in a Liberated World : The Prophetic Vision of Dorothee Soelle, in Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination, Jamie Gates and Mark Mann, eds,wipf and Stock, 2012. Primary Feathers chapter in Results May Vary, Point Loma Press, 2012. Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Olive May Winchester A Hidden Holiness Scholar, 1879-1947, Wesley and Methodist Studies, in peer review. Curriculum Gender Roles and Liberation in God, module for the Course of Studies for Ordination, Church of the Nazarene, 2013. Unfailing Love: Growing Closer to Jesus Christ, video series and participant s guide for Sisters: Bible Studies for Women Series, Abingdon Press, 2004. 4
Study Guide for The Sunday After Tuesday: Sermons preached after September 11th: Abingdon, 2002. Stewards of the Good News of Community: Personal Communities, Lessons for Steward, Living as Disciples in Everyday Life, a denominational curriculum for adult study. United Methodist Publishing House, 2000. Study Guide for Reflections on Forgiveness and Spiritual Growth edited by Andrew Weaver and Monica Furlong, Abingdon, 2000. Talking to Your Children: Conversations for Life, Abingdon, 1999. The Will of God: A Workbook, Abingdon, 1995. Leader s Guide for Letters to Marc About Jesus by Henri Nouwen, HarperCollins, 1991. Leader s Guide for When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd, HarperCollins, 1991 Other Publication Author of more than 75 magazine articles appearing in Christianity Today, Sojourners, Weavings, Asbury Online, and Holiness Today, for which I was a regular columnist for 10 years; 4 books of daily devotionals, 6 additional chapters in multi-authored works, 12 adult education curriculum series, and editor of more than 60 books for the religious trade. (Full publications list available.) Book reviews have appeared in Sacred Journey: The Journal of Fellowship in Prayer, EEWC Update, and New Horizons. Lectures and Conference Papers (selected) Moderator, Practical Theology Section, Wesleyan Theological Society Meeting, San Diego, CA, Mar 2016 Mary Bosanquet Fletcher s Communal Catechism, presented as a work in progress at the Summer Wesley Scholars Seminar, Asbury Seminary, Lexington, KY, June 20, 2015 Dividing what Cannot Be Destroyed : Susanna Wesley s Remarks on the Public Failures of Friendship Between Mr. Whitefield and Her Sons, The International Tercentenary Conference on George Whitefield, Pembroke College in Oxford, June 26, 2014 What Shall We Tell the Children about the Great and Not-So Great Atonement? Susanna Annesley Wesley and Rita Nakashima Brock in Conversation, Wesleyan Theological Society, March 7, 2014 Rev. Dr. Olive Winchester: A Gentlewoman and a Scholar, A Biographical Look on the 100th Anniversary of her Ordination to the Ministry Women in Ministry conference, University of Glasgow, May 12, 2012 Moderator, Soul Work: A Conversation on Spiritual Practices, Tipple-Vosburg lectures, Drew Theological School, October. 2010 As if We Lived in a Liberated World: The Prophetic Imagination of Dorothee Soelle presentation at the Prophetic Imagination Conference, Point Loma Nazarene, University, March 2010 Congregational Spiritual Formation, Skylands District, United Methodist Church, Parsippany, NJ March 2010 The Moral Imagination of Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, Point Loma Nazarene University Chapel, Sept. 2005 5
Spiritual Renewal Week speaker, Eastern Nazarene College, October 2004 Gather Up the Crumbs: God s Provision of Daily Guidance, Princeton University Chapel, August 2000 Prayer and Human Wholeness, Workshop, Companions on the Sacred Journey Conference, Princeton University, June 2000 Practice Makes Perfect: The Holiness of Everyday Acts, Featured Speaker, Wesley Conference 2000, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID Feb. 2000 The Holiness Tradition, The Ways of Prayer, The Family as Spiritual Teacher, Daily presenter, Bible Hour, Ecumenical Campmeeting, Ocean Grove Campmeeting Association, Ocean Grove, NJ 1996, 1997, 1998 The Sacred Journey, ACTS Women s Group, Marble Collegiate Church, NY, NY, 1998 Fall Revival. Edison, NJ Church of the Nazarene, 1996 The Character of Ministry in the Twenty-First Century, Compassionate Ministries Conference, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID, 1996 How are Clergy Women Faring? A Look at the Profession Today. Plenary presenter, Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy Conference, Indianapolis, IN, 1996 Respondent, Holy Living in a Post-Christian World, Riley Lectures, Wesley Center, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID,1995 Women in Ministry Workshops: Northwest Nazarene College, 1996, 1991 and Point Loma Nazarene University, 1990 Conferences Attended (list since arrival at PLNU) American Academy of Religion, 2011, 2014 Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference, 2011, 2013, 2015 Wesleyan Theological Society, 2014, 2016 Volunteer Service (since arrival at PLNU) World Hope Corp Mission Team to Uganda July 2015 Co-led with Dr. Caroline Njuki, The Women s Conference,,Togolo, Uganda, July 2015 Make-A-Wish, San Diego, Wish Grantor 2013-present Guest Preacher, Teacher, Retreat Leader (since arrival at PLNU) Mission Hills United Methodist Church, San Diego, Sept. 2016 Azusa Pacific University Chapel, Nov. 2015 Pentecostal Holiness Church, Togolo, Uganda, June 2015 St. Paul s Episcopal Church, San Diego, CA, Dec. 2014 Genesis Church of the Nazarene, San Diego, CA Sept, 2014 Epworth United Methodist Church, Berkeley, CA Oct 2013, San Diego First Church of the Nazarene, Oct, 2014, Dec, 2014, March, May 2015, May 2016 San Francisco Chinese Church of the Nazarene June 2013 Mission Valley Church of the Nazarene May 2012, Aug 2016 Pacific Beach United Methodist Church, November 2011 6